Montgomery Co. pays attorneys’ fees in court case

ROCKVILLE — Montgomery County has paid just under $375,000 in attorneys’ fees and court costs to a group that brought a lawsuit challenging a county ordinance that affected anti-abortion pregnancy counseling centers.

The group Alliance Defending Freedom brought the lawsuit in 2010 after Montgomery County officials passed an ordinance requiring centers to post a notice alerting visitors that they don’t have a medical professional on staff, and that county health officials recommend that women who may be pregnant see a doctor.

A federal judge in March permanently barred Montgomery County from enforcing the ordinance and county decided not to appeal.

Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian legal group, brought the lawsuit on behalf of the Centro Tepeyac center in Silver Spring.